fruit quality

Peach is among the most important fruit trees cultivated in Iran since ancient times. Thus, evaluating adaptability and identifying optimal peach varieties is crucial for its cultivation expansion. The ability of a peach cultivar (a specific cultivated variety of peach) to adapt to a new environment depends on several factors, including climate, soil as well as disease and pest resistance. Understanding these factors is crucial for the successful introduction of peach cultivars to new areas. Researchers and growers are constantly working to develop new cultivars, evaluate existing cultivars and refine agricultural practices. By considering cultivar adaptability and implementing appropriate strategies, growers can expand peach cultivation into new regions, increasing fruit production and diversifying the agricultural landscape.
 The present study was conducted with 15 peach varieties to evaluate their adaptability for a period of three years starting from 2016 at Urban Orchard Research Station in Kermanshah Province. The trees were planted Within a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with three replications Spaced 4*4 m apart in March 2014 Four trees were planted in each experimental unit, and a total of 12 trees were evaluated for each variety. To evaluate the pomological and yield characteristics of the cultivars, various fruit traits were measured over a three-year period from 2016 to 2018. These traits included fruit and stone weight, fruit and stone dimensions, stone-to-flesh adhesion, skin and flesh color, percent soluble solids, pH, fruit acidity, tree yield, yield efficiency, ripening time, and ripening duration. At the onset of fruit color change, the total number of fruits on each tree was recorded. Upon ripening, all fruits of each cultivar were harvested and weighed. A 30-fruit sample was then selected to determine weight, flesh content, stone weight, and fruit quality parameters, including soluble solids, pH, and titratable acidity. To assess quality traits, juice was first prepared from five ripe fruits. Soluble solids were measured using a handheld refractometer model [refractometer model]. pH was measured using a pH meter model [pH meter model]. Titratable acidity was determined by titration with 0.1 N NaOH solution in the presence of phenolphthalein indicator until a color change to purple was observed. The amount of NaOH consumed indicated the malic acid content per 100 g of fruit, which is the predominant acid in peach and nectarine fruits. The collected data were analyzed using the MSTATC software, and mean comparisons were performed using Duncan's multiple range test.
The results revealed significant differences between the varieties under study in terms of various fruit characteristics, including the number of fruits per tree, fruit weight, fruit and stone dimensions, fruit yield per tree and hectare, and fruit quality characteristics such as soluble solids, pH, and titratable acidity. The average yield over three years indicated that the fruit yield per hectare varied among the varieties from about 5.5 tons per hectare to about 38 tons per hectare. The 'Suncrest' variety enjoyed the highest yield with over 35 tons per hectare. Other varieties such as 'Federica', 'Babygold 6', and 'Babygold 7' were also superior with over 25 tons of fruit per hectare. Based on their good yield, fruit weight, and fruit quality, the varieties 'Suncrest', 'Federica', 'DixiRed', 'Domiziana', 'J.H. Hale', 'Amipsimidia', 'Alberta', 'Spring Crest', and 'Anjiry' were found to be suitable for fresh consumption. For industrial purposes, the varieties 'Babygold 7', 'Babygold 6', and 'Sudanl' were found to be appropriate due to their fruit quality and very high yield. As the results indicate, the yield rate increased as the peach trees aged. Moreover, the yield was recorded to be very high in some cultivars at the age of five, yet lower in some cultivars due to genetic differences or in response to the observed environmental conditions.
 This study provides valuable insights into the selection of suitable peach varieties for cultivation in Iran, considering both fresh market and industrial process applications. The findings can guide farmers and policymakers in optimizing peach production and enhancing the competitiveness of the Iranian fruit industry.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is a fruit-bearing species with a long history of cultivation in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Pomegranate production in Iran, as the main pomegranate producer in the world, is faced with different challenges. Fruit cracking is one of the serious disorders in pomegranate that cause significant reduction in the quality of fruit and subsequent economic damages to the pomegranate producers annually. Fruit cracking can be controlled to some extent by appropriate orchard management. Proper orchard fertilization is among the influential cases that can lead to the improvement in the physiological state of trees in favor of reducing the fruit cracking. 

In this study, the effects of silicon and potassium sulfate spraying were investigated on the fruit cracking and some quantitative and qualitative characteristics of pomegranate fruit. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the combined effects of four levels of silica (0, 100, 300, and 500 ppm) and three levels of potassium sulfate (0, 0.75%, and 1.5%) spraying on the fruit of pomegranate cv. ‘Malase-Saveh’, one of the most important pomegranate varieties of Iran. The treatments were applied three times during the growing season. The experiment was arranged in a factorial experiment based on the completely randomized block design in three replicates. Data analysis was performed using SAS statistical software and the means were compared using Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% level of significance.

The results indicated that most of the qualitative and quantitative traits were influenced by foliar spraying of these substances. Also, the results indicated that foliar application of silica, potassium sulfate, and their interaction significantly affected the fruit cracking. According to the results, the lowest fruit cracking (2.64%) was obtained by spraying 500 ppm silica and 0.75% potassium sulfate, while the highest fruit cracking (27.87%) was recorded from control plants. The highest fruit weight (204 g) was recorded in the treatment of 1.5% potassium sulfate and the lowest fruit weight (144 g) was recorded from untreated plants. Most of the treatments had a positive effect on fruit and aril weight and increased this character compared to the control. Spraying with 500 ppm silica and 1.5% potassium sulfate resulted in the highest (39.69 g) 100 arils weight, while control plants had the lowest (29.14) 100 arils weight. Silica and potassium sulfate treatment also improve the total soluble solid and titratable acidity in the fruit juice of pomegranate.

The data obtained from this study could provide valuable insights into the effects of proper fertilization in reducing one of the main pomegranate disorders. Overall, the results indicated that combined spraying of silica (500 ppm) with potassium sulfate (1.5%) is more effective than their individual use and results in the higher fruit yield and quality, as well as a lower cracking disorder. These findings suggest that there are synergistic effects between these compounds. According to the results of this investigation simultaneous application of silica and potassium is suggested as a practical strategy in orchard management practices that could be beneficial for improving qualitative and quantitative attributes of pomegranate fruit.

Pre-harvest citrus fruit splitting is a physiological disorder that causes significant damage to producers of susceptible cultivars by reducing the amount of crop available on the market. Proper management of tree nutrition and paying special attention to the three key elements of potassium, calcium, and boron, which are involved in the strength of cell walls and fruit peel flexibility, can be effective in reducing the fruit splitting severity. Therefore, an experiment has been carried out in the Ramsar (Citrus and Subtropical Fruits Research Center) during 2018 and 2019 to investigate the effects of foliar application of 1.0% potassium nitrate, 1.0% calcium nitrate, and 0.5% boric acid at the end of June drop on reducing the severity of splitting and some fruit traits of Page mandarin. This study is performed according to a combined analysis in time with two factors including years of experimentation and different treatments of foliar application of nutrients, based on randomized complete block design with three replications. The results show that the treatments especially 1.0% potassium nitrate have reduced pre-harvest fruit splitting, increased the yield, and improved the quantitative and qualitative fruit traits. However, they have had no significant effect on the activity of polygalacturonase enzyme, cell density of blossom-end, and navel diameter. Overall, foliar application of nutrients, especially 1.0% potassium nitrate, could be suggested as an effective approach to control pre-harvest fruit splitting and boost the quantity and quality of page mandarin fruit.

In this experiment, the effect of repeated foliar application of 0.5 percent urea at three different stages of fruit growth (including initiation of embryo growth, rapid growth of embryo and during flower bud abscission with two weeks interval) on growth and yield of pistachio was investigated. To this aim, 20 mature trees of Kalleh-ghuchi were selected from the Research Garden of Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan, Iran in 2016. Growth characteristics such as shoot length, leaf number and the length of inter node were increased by increasing urea application events. Three times application of urea decreased bud abscission by 62%, also it resulted in a 65% increase in leaf nitrogen concentration compared to the control trees. Also L index of hull and cluster weight, nut weight and fruit moisture were increased by increasing urea application events, while fruit firmness and ounce were decreased by increase in urea application events. The presented data suggests that three times application of urea during the third stage of nut growth with two weeks-interval, can have some positive effects on qualitative and quantitative traits of fruit; furthermore, it can initiate alternate bearing by decreasing flower bud abscission during the “On” year.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is one of the most important fruits grown on a commercial scale in Iran. It has gained popularity worldwide due to its high economic, nutraceutical, and therapeutic values. Chilling injury and weight loss are the most important limiting factors for pomegranate fruit storage. Application of an edible coating such as carnuba wax on the fruit surface imparts a glossy appearance and better color, reduces fruit weight loss, extends storage life, and prevents microbial spoilage, which is extremely important to perishable fruit. Edible coatings create a modified atmosphere around the fruit by providing a semipermeable barrier to water vapor and gases, and their use offers an effective alternative to film packaging due to their environmentally friendly characteristic.

The present study conducted a factorial design based on completely randomized design with four replications to evaluate the effect of carnuba wax on pomegranate fruit storage. The treatments included carnuba wax in three concentrations 0, 0.5%, and 1%, and storage time in 3 levels (0, 45, and 90 days). After immersion and drying, the fruits were packed in plastic baskets and kept in a cold room at 4 ± 1 °C with 85 ± 5% of relative humidity. In each sampling removal, quantitative and qualitative characteristics such as weight loss (%), electrolyte leakage (percentage), chilling index, tissue firmness, total acidity, pH, color indices (aril and skin), fruit flavor, anthocyanin, skin freshness, and overall fruit acceptance were examined.

The results showed that carnuba wax prevented weight loss until the end of the storage period (90 days) but controlled ion leakage until 45 days of storage. The skin firmness of fruits and arils was higher in carnuba than in control samples. Increasing the concentration of carnuba wax resulted in lowering vitamin C but did not affect the antioxidant capacity. According to the panelists', the flavor, skin freshness, and pomegranate fruits' appearance in both carnuba treatments were better than the control samples.

The results of this study showed that carnuba-coated fruit has protective quantitative and qualitative characteristics during cold storage. Moreover, exogenous application of carnauba wax showed improvement in pomegranate storability at 4 °C, which otherwise leads to chilling injury and reduction in quality. The treatment with carnauba wax preserves fruit weight, total acidity, and skin freshness. Pomegranate carnuba-coated fruit exhibited a significantly lower chilling rate as compared to the control samples. According to the results, carnuba 0.5% maintained most qualitative and quantitative properties of pomegranate fruit until 90 days at 4°C.

This study has been performed to compare DAT1, a new mid-season apple genotype, with summer apple cultivars including ‘Gala’, ‘Golab-e-Kohanz’, ‘Shafi Abadi’, and ‘Golab-e-Isfahan’ grafted on M9, MM106, and MM111 during two consecutive years in Kamalshahr Research Station. The experiments use a factorial design, arranged in a Random Complete Block Design with 3 replicates. Results show that the impacts of cultivars, rootstocks, and their interactions has been significant (P≤0.01) on growth characteristics, having the highest values in ‘Golab-e-Kohanz’ and ‘Golab-e-Isfahan’ grafted on MM111, with 92 and 91.7 cm respectively, while the lowest value occurs in DAT1, grafted on M9 with 53.7 cm. the highest yield is found in ‘Golab-e-Isfahan’, ‘Golab-e-Kohanz’, and DAT1 grafted on MM106 and MM111 with 22.50, 20.05, and 18.4 kg, respectively. The largest fruits belong to DAT1, being 211.80 gr, and the smallest ones are grown on ‘Golab-e-Isfahan’ and ‘Golab-e-Kohanz’ with 75.50 and 69.55 gr, respectively. Regarding flesh firmness, the hardest and softest fruits turn out to be ‘Gala’ grafted on M9 and DAT1 on MM106, being 5.8 Kg/cm2 and 3.7 Kg/cm2, respectively. The maximum soluble solids (18.5%) has been ‘Gala’ grafted on all three rootstocks and the lowest one (11.5%), ‘Golab-e-Isfahan’ grafted on MM111. The maximum acidity of fruit juice has been found in DAT1 grafted on MM106 with 0.68% and the lowest one in ‘Golab-e-Isfahan’ grafted on MM106 with 022%.

Many factors including climate, type of rootstock, soil properties, geological factors, plant nutrition and irrigation affect the quantity and quality of orange fruit. In this study, the relations between citrus orchards conditions, their soil properties and leaf elements concentration and fruit quality were evaluated. The experiment was conducted as a randomized complete block design and soil, fruit and leaf samples were collected from six different regions of Darab, Fars, Iran. After fruit sampling, land properties such as physiographic features, slope, gravel, altitude and soil physical and chemical properties such as percent of sand, silt, clay, organic matter, calcium carbonate, pH and electrical conductivity and also N, P, K, Fe and Zn availability were determined. Several morphological and qualitative characteristics of fruit including, rind and flesh weight, rind thickness, length, diameter, fruit granulation, flavor, sugar and fruit juice acidity were determined. The contents of N, P, K, Fe and Zn in the collected leaves were determined. Three random samples were taken for each orchard and each replicate consisted of one tree. Results showed that fruit weight was correlated with the land slope, soil pH, electrical conductivity, soil organic matter content, soil N, P and K and leaf K content. Rind thickness showed a significant positive correlation with parameters such as land slope, electrical conductivity, organic matter, silt, clay and soil N, P and Zn and leaf N and K content. However, there was a significant negative correlation between rind thickness and soil gravel and sand contents. The relations between fruit granulation and soils calcium carbonate, gravel, organic matter content and soil K concentration were significant. TSS to TA ratio in fruit juices had significant negative correlation with land altitude, soils silt, calcium carbonate contents and leaf K content. Generally, many soil properties had significant effects on fruit quality but it seems that soil texture, organic matter, pH, P and K were more effective on fruit quality.

Papaya is one of the most important commercial fruits in many tropical regions of the world. The fruit is a rich source of vitamins, minerals and dietary antioxidants and can be used as afresh or processed fruit. This product is climacteric and has short postharvest life and susceptibilities to physical damage, water loss, chilling injury, diseases and pests. Maintenance of papaya fruit quality depends on orchard management, harvesting practices, packing operations, postharvest treatments, temperature management, and transportation and storage conditions. Harvest maturity in papaya is a critical factor that determines fruit quality, shelf life, storage potential at low temperature, and susceptibility to mechanical injuries and diseases. Postharvest storage life of papaya increases with suitable packaging storage and pre-harvest and post-harvest treatments like heat treatment, calcium, and irradiation. This paper reviewed effective factors in the quality of fruit and post-harvest issues of fruit including biochemical changes and post-harvest diseases as well as appropriate methods to maintain the quality of this product.

Asian pears (Pyrus serotina Rehd.) are different from European pears in shape, size, color, flavor, texture and ripening time of fruit. This research was conducted to study growth and fruit yield of eight Asian pear cultivars; KS6, KS7, KS8, KS9, KS10, KS12, KS13 and KS14 as well as cv. Shah Miveh and cv. Spadona as control cultivars in Kahriz field station, Urmia, Iran, from 2008 to 2015. Combined analysis of variance revealed significant differences (P≤0.01) among cultivars for vegetative characteristics including annual growth, tree height, trunk diameter and tree canopy, and fruit attributes; fruit length, diameter, weight, firmness, TSS, pH and TA, fruits number per tree, fruit yield per tree, and fruit yield per unit trunk cross-sectional area (TCSA) index. The lowest vegetative growth was observed in KS14 cultivar. Asian cultivars had fruit weight and TSS less, and fruit firmness, fruit number per tree, fruit yield per tree and fruit yield per unit trunk cross-sectional area greater than control cultivars. Cv. Shah Miveh with 3.73 kg and KS13 with 10.06 kg had the lowest and the highest mean fruit yield per tree for last three years. The highest yield per unit trunk cross-sectional area index was observed in KS13. Among Asian pear cultivars; KS7, KS10, as early ripening, and KS13, KS13, as medium ripening with high fruit yield and marketability can be recommened for being grown in Urmia and other regions with similar climatic conditions.

 Calcium is a key plant nutrient with significant functions including reducing fruit senescence; calcium deficiency has been involved in several physiological disorders in fruits. Pre-harvest foliar application of calcium chloride (CaCl2) is an efficient and safe strategy to maintain or improve the fruit quality during storage. Also, calcium significantly increases the membrane and cell wall density and reduces the physiological disorders of the fruit. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pre-harvest CaCl2 sprays of citrus trees at three fruit development stages on improving fruit quality and antioxidant capacity during storage. To conduct this research, citrus trees of three different varieties (‘Thomson’, ‘Moro’ and ‘Page’) were sprayed with different concentrations of CaCl2 (0, 1, 2 and 4%) at three fruit development stages (120, 140 and 160 days after full bloom). After harvesting, citrus fruits were stored at 5°C and 85% relative humidity for 60 days. Then, weight loss and juice percentage, total carotenoids, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity, and total antioxidant capacity (IC50 content) of the fruits peel and pulp were determined on 0 (harvesting time), 30 and 60 days. Data were analyzed using SAS (Ver.9.1) and significance of the differences between the means was computed using Tukey test.    Results showed that weight loss percentage in fruit treated with CaCl2 (especially in 2 and 4% treatments) of all three cultivars was significantly less than control during storage. Total carotenoid of pulp of Thomson and Moro cultivars increased with increasing of CaCl2 concentrations compared to control during storage. In Page mandarin, the carotenoid content of pulp was not affected by calcium chloride treatment. Results also showed that SOD activity in peel and pulp of treated fruits was higher than control at harvest time. At the time of harvesting, the peel APX activity of Thomson and Moro cultivars (control) was higher than those treated by calcium. Antioxidant capacity (based on IC50 content) of peel and pulp varied depending on the cultivar and the treatment. That is, the highest antioxidant capacity was determined in ‘Thomson’ at harvest time and in treated fruits with high level of CaCl2. In the present study, the CaCl2 pre-treatment was sprayed on the citrus trees and the results indicated that pre-harvest calcium chloride significantly decreases weight loss percentage and increases antioxidant capacity, SOD activity and total carotenoid contents in citrus fruits during storage. It seems that the accessibility of sufficient CaCl2 during plant growth has a strong influence on concentrations of bioactive compounds and overall antioxidant properties of citrus fruits. Overall, it is suggested that an appropriate CaCl2 pre-treatment of citrus tree can help improve or maintain pulp and peel quality during storage. It is further suggested, using chlorine-free calcium sources in southern Iran with alkaline soils.

In this research, morphological, leaf chlorophyll and its variations, biochemical traits related to the fruit quality and sclereid cell cluster characteristics were evaluated in 15 introductions of European pear cultivars. Morphological characteristics based on 68 traits of the national descriptors for distinctness, uniformity and stability as well as chlorophyll were evaluated during growing period. Morphological evaluation revealed distinctness in tree, branch, leaf, flower and fruit traits. Among the evaluated traits, color of branches, length : width ratio of leaf, position of petal margins, length : diameter ratio, position of largest diameter and color of fruit skin, and the characteristics of fruit stalk were highly distinctive. Length : width ratio of leaf, ranged from <1.4, 1.4-1.5, 1.5-1.6, 1.6-1.7 and >1.7 in very narrow to very broad leaves. For length : diameter ratio of fruits ranged from <1.0, 1.0-1.2, 1.2-1.4, 1.4-1.6 and >1.6 indicated extremely wide to extremely narrow fruits. In addition, quantitative traits showed that these traits were mostly consistent with the control cultivars of the UPOV descriptor, however, low stability was observed in some traits such as blooming time. Leaf chlorophyll content changes showed varied patterns, but mostly increased in the beginning of summer and decreased toward leaf fall. Meanwhile, the highest chlorophyll indices were found in Alvert, Beurre Diel and Doyenne du Comice cultivars. Based on the results of this study, Packhams Triumph, Doyenne du Comice and Bulghar No. 2 were identified as superior cultivars.

Sweet cherry fruit due to high water content and respiration rate is rotten in post-harvest period and hence has a short storage life. So, reducing of respiration rate and delaying of senescence process are required for increasing of storage life. Gamma amino butyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid with low content in the cell in normal state. No study has taken into account the effect of GABA on the storage life of sweet cherry fruit and also, increasing of shelf life by natural compounds seems essential to maintain the quality. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of improving the post-harvest quality of sweet cherry fruit, increasing biochemical and antioxidant properties and improving fruit appearance using GABA with the purpose of replacing it with synthetic chemicals. Fruits of sweet cherry cv. Tak Daneyeh Mashhad were harvested at commercial maturity from a commercial orchard in Urmia (Iran) and transported to laboratory immediately. GABA was used in three concentrations (5, 10 and 20 mM). Titration method was used for determination of Titratable acid (TA) and pH was determined by pH meter. TSS was determined by refractometer. Total antioxidant capacity was determined by ferric ions reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP). Total phenolic content was determined by Folin ciocalteu method and total flavonoid content was determined by the aluminum chloride colorimetric method. The results showed that TA content remains constant with treatment of GABA during storage. GABA treatment leads to an increase in total antioxidant activity, total phenol, total flavonoid and activity of catalase and guaiacol peroxidase enzymes in the treated fruits compared to control fruit after 30 days of storage. The pH value in treated fruits compared to untreated fruits was decreased during storage. Also, GABA at 10 mM level compared with other concentrations had the highest effect on total antioxidant capacity after 30 days of storage. The increasing of organic acids in treating fruits can be probably due to increasing of antioxidant capacity by GABA treatment, hence the damage to membrane was prevented and the organic acids were used less frequently. Treatment of fruits with GABA decreased the pH during storage, which may be due to its role in reducing of respiration rate in harvested fruits. The mechanism of the effect of GABA on increasing of total phenol and flavonoid content may be due to stimulating the production of Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) which can trigger phenylpropanoid pathway and hereby, syntheses of phenolic compounds such as flavonoids compounds were occurred. Catalase is one of the key enzymes to protect the cells and cause the conversion of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen. Therefore, probably the GABA treatment via the increasing the antioxidant system such as catalase leads to scavenge free radicals thereby protecting plants against oxidative stress.

Tomato is one of the most important vegetable in Iran, not only because of its economics importance, but also for the nutritional value of its fruit, mainly due to the fact that they are an excellent source of natural colors and antioxidant compounds. Water quality and fruit maturity stage has a significant effect on tomato fruit quality. In the present research, we studied the response of tomato grown at different salinity levels, as well as the changes that take place during different maturity stages, in order to improve the management and harvesting of tomato and obtain fruit of a higher nutritional value. In this study, to evaluate the effect ofsalinity and fruit ripening stage on physical, biochemical properties and shelf life of tomato fruits in hydroponics system, an experiment was carried out as factorial based on randomized complete block design with three replications at Moghan College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, during 2015. Fruits from plants grown under three saline treatments (2, 4 and 8 dS m-1) were harvested at three ripening states (mature green, purple and red colors). The nutrient solution was prepared based on full strength of Hoagland's solution containing: 5.6 mM Ca (NO3)2, 4 mM KNO3, 1 mM KH2PO4. Characteristics such as fruit fresh and dry weight, total soluble solid, firmness, flavor index, titratable acidity, soluble protein, ascorbate peroxidase activity and shelf life were measured. The results showed that total soluble solids, juice electrical conductivity and dry matter percentage of fruits significantly increased with increasing salinity in the nutrient solution and progressed the ripening stage, but fruit water content decreased by 9%. The highest weight (147.7 g) and volume of fruits (153 cm3) were obtained in plants grown under 2 dS m-1 salinity and fruits harvested at the purple stage. Titratable acidity increased with increasing of salinity in the nutrient solution, but its content decreased at the red color stage. Firm fruit with greater shelf life was observed under 2 dS m-1 salinity and at the mature green stage. Soluble protein content in fruit was increased by increasing salinity levels in the nutrient solution, especially at the ripening stage. The application of 4 dS m-1 salinity at mature green stage increased ascorbate peroxidase activity up to 62.5% compared to 8 dS m-1 salinity and red color fruits. These results suggest that the improvement in fruit quality induced by the salinity is achieved by some biochemical changes and the reduction of fruit water content. Increasing of salinity in the nutrient solution can be useful for improving fruit quality, especially, when fruit is harvested at the red stage. However, with increasing salinity in the nutrient solution up to 4 dS m-1 and fruit harvest in the red color stage fruits with better quality and more suitable weight can be produced.

To evaluate the effects of harvest time and duration of storage on the fruit quality and storage longevity of physalis )Physalis angulate L.(, an experiment was carried out based on completely randomized design (CRD), with three replications in 2016. Factors were three fruit harvest stages (mature green, yellowish green, and yellow) and storage times (0 (harvest time), 10, 20, 30 days). The results showed that different harvest times and storage durations had significant effects on the fruit quality indices and storage longevity. The highest value of flavor and fruit color index, vitamin C (201.54 mg) and total soluble solids (TSS) (7.6 percent of brix) contents were obtained in the fruit harvested at the yellow stage under 10 days storage duration, and with longer storage duration reduced vitamin C and TSS contents. The maximum titratable acidity (1.71 mg/100gr) and pH of fruit were observed at the mature green stage in harvest time. Chart differences color in storage was accompanied by an upward trend in the amount of mature green fruit significantly different than the fruit was yellowish green and yellow. According to the results, because of climacteric nature of physalis fruits, gradual ripening and fruit color change, harvesting of fruit at mature green stage increased the storage life up to 30 days at 15 °C compared to other fruits harvested times.

This study was done to investigate and compare fruit yield, yield components, morphological traits and fruit quality of greenhouse tomato genotypes in order to use them as selection criteria. Progenies of 49 crosses of greenhouse tomato together with their 13 parents were evaluated using Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The highest amount of fruit yield was observed in the progenies of the crosses 20, 25 and 46. On the other hand, the progenies of the crosses 17 and 18, which showed the highest amount of fruit quality, also had a suitable fruit yield. The highest number of fruits was observed in the progenies of the crosses 18, 16 and 19. In order to selecte the most effective traits as the selection criteria, broad and narrow sense heritabilities were estimated under two growing seasons by uniparental-perogeny, biparental-perogeny regression, and parental-perogeny correlation. The amount of broad sense heritability ranged from 45 to 92% in the first season and from 43 to 80% in the second one. Therefore, the traits including the total fruit yield, fruit weight, pericarp thickness, Brix, and PH were suggested for selecting the best genotypes, because of the higher level of heritability in these traits. Higher amounts of narrow-sense heritability in number of fruit per cluster and internode length suggested that these traits are appropriate as selection criteria. But the results showed that selection criteria varied in different environmental conditions.